Government clears safety doubts on mobile phone use at fuel pumps

“We want to promote digital transactions and bust any myths about phone use being overtly dangerous at petrol pumps,” a senior government official said.Ruchika Chitravanshi | ET Bureau | December 23, 2016, 08:13 IST

NEW DELHI: After declaring incentives to encourage cashless purchases of petrol, the government is now assuring users that it is safe to use mobile phones at petrol pumps, albeit within specific safety guidelines.

The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, through its Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation, has told the petroleum ministry that it is completely safe to use mobile phones at petrol stations at a certain height and distance from the pumps. “We want to promote digital transactions and bust any myths about phone use being overtly dangerous at petrol pumps,” a senior government official said.

Cashless payments at petrol pumps surged after it was announced that old Rs 500 notes would no longer be accepted for transactions. The government had also allowed withdrawal of Rs 2,000 at petrol pumps by swiping debit cards through point of sale machines. Various petroleum dealer associations had raised concerns over the use of mobile phones at fuelling stations.

Apart from specifying zones where mobile phones can be used, petrol pumps are required to get point-of-sale machines approved by DIPP before using them. The department highlighted special precautions to be taken in case of two-wheelers because of their proximity to fuel pumps during payment transactions.

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After PSU banks, the government is likely to infuse capital in two chronically ill telecom PSUs BSNL and MTNL, and the Union Cabinet is likely to take a decision on 4G spectrum allocation to them by the third week of the current month after DoT places the note before it for consideration.

At a high-level meeting at the PMO late Tuesday, it was also decided that the two telcos will frame a Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) to reduce their employee strength, which will be followed by a reduction in the retirement age to 58.